Upwood & The Raveleys Newsletter April 2013 Issue 65 Meet your Parish Councillors Back (l to r): Fiona Hopkins, Colin Bryce, Andrew Perkins, Keith Sisman, Claire Tunnicliffe (Clerk) Front (l to r): Carol Bilverstone, Jo Paxton (Vice-chair), Robin Howe (Chair), Gill Shelford ; Jean Noble not in picture Diary of Events p2 Parish Council News p3 Performing Arts p3 Upwood School News p4 St Peter’s Church p6-7 Robin Howe p8-9 Spring flowers in our nature reserves p11 Upwood Cricket Club p12 Societies & Groups p3-6, 10, 12-141 Local Contacts p16 DIARY APRIL / MAY DIARY OF EVENTS Date Day Event Time Place / Contact 5 Apr Fri Gt. Fen Talk – Fenland Waterways 7.30pm Wildlife trust centre, Ramsey Heights (07983 850886) 7 Apr Sun Morning Prayer 9.30am St Peter’s Church 8 Apr Mon Parish Council meeting 7.00pm Village Hall 9 Apr Tues Evening Book Lovers’ Group 7.30pm Cross Keys 10 Apr Wed Village Hall AGM 7.30pm Village Hall 13 Apr Sat Upwood Crafters first meeting 12.00- Village Hall. Janice (813104) 3.00pm 14 Apr Sun Holy Communion or Service of the 9.30am St Peter’s Church Word 18 Apr Thurs 1st Community Led Plan meeting 6.45pm Village Hall 19 Apr Fri Upwood Performing Arts – Mervyn 7.45pm Village Hall Doug McLeod Stutter (814114) 21 Apr Sun Service – ‘Open the Book’ 9.30am St Peter’s Church 24 Apr Wed Gt. Fen Event - Upwood walk 10.00 Meet Cross Keys. 25 Apr Thur Over 55’s Coffee Morning 10:30am 60 High Street 28 Apr Sun Holy Communion 9.30am St Peter’s Church 29 Apr Mon Home to Home – Slide Show 8.00pm Frances (711411) 4 May Sat Meet & Munch - tea 3.00- Village Hall. Mags (812424) 4.00pm 5 May Sun Morning Prayer 9.30am St Peter’s Church 12 May Sun Holy Communion or Service of the 9.30am St Peter’s Church Word 13 May Mon Parish Council meeting 7.00pm Village Hall 15 May Wed History Group – Alan Bowley – The 7.45pm Village Hall Ian (710702) Rothschild Family 19 May Sun Service - ‘Open the Book’ 9.30am St Peter’s Church 21 May Tues Evening Book Lovers’ Group 7.30pm Cross Keys 24 May Fri Cross Keys Golf Day As Pidley Golf Club Malcolm (01840 advised 779425) 26 May Sun Holy Communion 9.30am St Peter’s Church 27 May Mon Inter Club Cricket Match - David Drage (07796 352200) Future Events 1 June Sat Meet & Munch – Coronation Lunch 1.00- Village Hall. Mags (812424) 2.00pm 2 June Sun United Service 10am Thomas a Becket church, Ramsey 15 June Sat &Sun St Peter’s flower Festival 11am – St Peter’s Church (812195) 16 June Sun Upwood Open Gardens 4.30pm Village Gardens, Josie (710702) 22 June Sat Upwood Fete 1.00- Cross Keys Paddock. (814102 or 4.30pm 711372) Deadline for the June Issue is the 15th May, 2013 2 PARISH COUNCIL NEW COUNCILLOR: After her short presentation at the PC Meeting in March Councillors voted to appoint Carol Bilverstone to the Parish Council. We are also very pleased to welcome Fiona Hopkins who joined the Council in February and look forward to working with them both to serve the interests of the parish. NEXT MEETINGS: MONDAY, 8TH APRIL & MONDAY, 13TH MAY: 7.00PM All meetings take place in Upwood Village Hall and all are welcome. MEET & MUNCH With the spring and summer months approaching, Meet & Munch members will be meeting in the Village Hall for afternoon tea, 3.00pm to 4.00pm, on the following dates: 4th May 2013, 6th July 2013, 3rd August 2013, and 7th September 2013 However, on 1st June 2013, we are holding a lunch 1.00pm to 2.00pm to celebrate in true Meet & Munch style, the 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Meet & Munch is open to all Upwood & Raveley residents, aged 55 and over and new members are always welcome. Please contact Mags 812424 or Jean 813742 UPWOOD QUILTERS The Upwood Quilt group met on the 26th February for a foundation lesson when a few new members joined us for some help in starting new projects. We meet again on the 26th March when we will have a sewing afternoon and in April we will be making patchwork pillows. The members have programmes for the coming year, and it is hoped to have more projects to try in the near future. Upwood Village Hall Performing Arts Events – New Year Season 2013 presents Mervyn Stutter Friday 19th April at 7.45pm Comedian, raconteur & comic songwriter back for his third visit to UVH Tickets £9.50 (no concessions) Box Office: 01487 814114 / [email protected] * Special Pre-Show Meal Deal at the Cross Keys for ticket holders * *S&K Pie or Lasagne + dessert £9.00 - Available from 5.30pm to 6.45pm *-- 3 UPWOOD AND THE RAVELEYS HISTORY GROUP As a follow up to the last meeting a visit to Peterborough Museum has been arranged for 10th April (7.00 pm). The talk on 15th May (7.45 pm in the Village Hall) will be of local interest. Alan Bowley from Natural England will be talking on ‘The Rothschild Family, Conservation and the early years of Woodwalton Fen. The cost of annual membership is £10 but visitors are welcome to individual meetings at a cost of £3. For further information contact Ian Gaunt (710702; [email protected]). UPWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL NEWS Toy Sale: One of our teachers, Miss Holland, has taken a sabbatical year to travel around parts of the world. During the trip, she has been to Lesotho, a land locked country in South Africa. In Lesotho she stayed at two orphanages (Semonkong and Pulane) which form part of the children’s centre; more information can be found on the following link: www.freewebs.com/semonkongchildrenscentre/ Miss Holland has been looking after the children and helping them with their schooling. In the evenings, shepherd boys come down from the mountains for a meal and to learn some basic literacy and numeracy skills; she has also been supporting with this vital education role. There are approximately 150 children between the two orphanages, with very few toys between them. Because of this the community of Upwood Primary School decided to help the children in these orphanages by donating old toys which they no longer needed. These were then sold in a toy sale. The money raised will be taken to the orphanages where new toys will be purchased once in Lesotho. Miss Holland will soon be returning to Upwood Primary School. We are all very much looking forward to seeing her and hearing news of her travels. CROSS KEYS GOLF SOCIETY The next outing will be on Friday 24th May 2013 at Pidley Golf Club. The format will be as before with Texas Scramble and Stapleford competitions. The entry sheet is posted in the Cross Keys. For any further information please contact Malcolm Hudson on 01840 779425 4 HOME TO HOME Home to Home is a ladies group that meets once a month, usually in the Village Hall. The April 29th meeting will be a film show and on 27th May a Craft Evening with Janice Carter, who will provide the materials for members to "have a go". Events commence at 8pm and visitors are welcome to come along. There is a small fee for non-members with light refreshments included. This is a friendly club and newcomers to the village will be made very welcome. Membership costs £10 a year and the programme includes a summer barbecue and Christmas meal. Details from Frances Ashfield on 711411 TABLE TENNIS CLUB The Table Tennis Club had a hugely successful Dinner Dance at the Village Hall on Saturday 2nd March with Brice Catering providing a delicious cold buffet and "10 O'clock Curfew" the music for the evening. The annual event was attended by 36 members and guests who danced the night away to music from the 60's and 70's. Although the club is full with 32 members (average club night attendance 24) we do run a waiting list where potential members can play twice a month. Anyone interested in joining UTTC should contact David Williams 812923 UPWOOD DOES COMIC RELIEF Did you go to the Village Hall on Friday 15th March between 10am and 12noon? If not you missed a real treat. Sue Elvis held a coffee and cup-cakes morning and donated all the proceeds to Comic Relief. There was a choice of 3 wonderful flavours – it didn’t matter whether you chose vanilla, chocolate or red velvet the taste was great! Those of us who were fortunate enough to sample these delicious cakes can’t wait for Sue’s next charity coffee morning. My family were so impressed that we brought some home to have with afternoon tea! £87 was raised. Pictured l to r: Sue and her friendly helper Heather Corbishley RAMSEY & DISTRICT U3A Our new membership year starts in April and if you’d like to join us, you can contact our membership secretary Nina on 01487 711 265, or for more information see our website www.u3asites.org.uk/ramsey. 5 WEA - UPWOOD BRANCH Upwood WEA is delighted to announce the return of the ever- popular tutor Fiona Lucraft for the summer term with her course on DICKENS – HIS LIFE & TIMES 10 weeks starting on Wednesday 17th April at 8.00 pm in the Village Hall. The course fee is £45.00. We willDICKENS explore the – worldHIS LIFEof Charles & TIMES Dickens through his life and writings, study extracts and illustrations from several of his novels and also discuss his journalism.